The American Legend Series Part 4 - John Henry

Today we talk about another legend in American folklore and try to find the truth and origins behind these larger-than-life tales. On this EP, we are looking into the steel-driving man John Henry. Apart from his folklore fellows, John Henry seems to have been birthed from old songs sung by railroad workers in the late 19th century... but was the subject of their songs, John Henry, an actual person? Quite possibly. Listen to find out more!

Sources:

https://virginiahistory.org/learn/historical-media/steel-drivin-man-john-henry-untold-story-american-legend

https://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/18/books/18grim.html

https://www.wm.edu/news/stories/2006/qa-with-nelson-beyond-the-myth-of-john-henry.php

https://archive.org/details/steeldrivinmanjo00nels/page/n9/mode/2up?q=prison